Brook Park men charged in $2 million food stamp scam at Ohio City stores

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Three Brook Park men operated a $2 million food stamp scam out of their convenience stores in the Ohio City neighborhood, according to a federal indictment released today.

U.S. Attorney Steven Dettelbach said the defendants accepted food stamps for ineligible items such as beer and cigarettes or for cash. Two of the men also are felons, and shouldn't have been taking part in the food stamp program in the first place, he said.

"They put their stores under other people's names because they had prior criminal records, and for that reason alone weren't eligible to be part of the food stamps program," Dettelbach said.

A federal grand jury returned indictments against Saed "Sam" Wahdan, 41; his brother, Maher "Mario" Wahdan, 42; and Nidal Jaber, 45. Each were indicted on charges of conspiracy to commit food stamp fraud, food stamp fraud, and unlawful redemption of food stamps. Maher Wahdan faces an additional count of theft of public funds.

The Wahdans owned and operated all four stores, but put them in the names of other people to conceal Saed Wahdan's conviction for food stamp trafficking, and Maher Wahdan's conviction for impersonating an officer, Dettelbach said.

According to the indictment, between January 2008 and March 2012, the defendants and others conspired to defraud the food stamps program, now known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

In addition to exchanging customers’ food stamps for cash and other unauthorized items, the men bought food stamp cards from customers and used the cards at other grocery locations to buy inventory for their stores and for their personal use, the indictment charges.

The indictment seeks to compel the Wahdans to forfeit property derived from the proceeds of their suspected criminal conduct, including Cleveland properties on Dennison Avenue, West 44th Street, West 130th Street, West 75th Street, and Linn Drive.

The case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Office of Inspector General-Investigations, and Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations.